Centrifugal cream-separator.



PATIENT QFFIEEQ DAVID R. GREEN, OF WATER LOO, IOWA.

GENTR-IFUGAL CREAM-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed September 13, 1906. s ifilNO- 334,372.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID R. GREEN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Waterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, haveinvented certain tors, and the object of my improvements is to providemeans for causing the whole milk to circulate under centrifugal stressback and 'forth over the disks of the liner in such a manner as to mostefiiciently separate all the cream therefrom. This object I haveaccomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed,and which are illustrated by the drawings hereto annexed, in which-Figure l is a central vertical axial section of the separator bowlcontaining my improved liner, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of saidliner showing the bowl with the cover removed and taken on the line a:a: of Fig. 1.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

I have shown in Fig. 1 a separator bowl of a well known type 1, having acover 28, the latter being clamped upon said bowl by means of a hollowclamping cylinder 14, a circular gasket 24 being interposed between theedges of said cover and bowl to provide a liquid tight connectiontherebetween. The. lower part of said bowl is provided with an axialperforation interiorly threaded for the reception of the exteriorlythreaded upper end of the spindle 26, the upper end of the latterfurthermore projecting upward into the interior of the bowl a suflicientdistance so. as to be securely screwed into the interiorly threadedlower end of the clamping cylinder 14. Theupper end of said clampingcylinder 14 is open and forms the inlet tube for the entering milk to beseparated. The lower end of said clamping tube is closed by means of theupper end of said spindle 26, but has on opposite sides just above saidspindle top a horse-shoe shaped open ing 17 whose intermediatetongue-piece 18 is bent inwardly in order to deflect tangentially thecurrent of full milk passing therethrough. An outer cylinder 13 isplaced about said clamping cylinder 14 and spaced away therefrom asuitable distance, the upper end of said cylinder being closed by theupper flanges of the cylinder 14. The cylinder 13 has at a point a shortdistance above the horse-shoe shaped opening 17 an inner ring-shapedflange or shelf whidh fits tightly about the exterior periphery of thecylinder 14, form' ing a circular chamber concentric with the cylinder14 and around its lower portion. The lower end of said cylinder 13 restsupon the bottom of the bowl 1 and is supplied with a plurality ofopenings 25 at its lower end. Said cylinder 13 is provided with slottedperforations 15 at different points to permit the passage therethroughand into the interior of the cylinder.

of separated-cream.

Vertical grooves 27 are provided on the inner periphcry of the cylinder13 extending upward vertically from the perforations 15 to the creamexits 22 to form conduits for the escaping cream. I have placed aboutthe cylinder 13, spaced away from and concentric therewith, a verticalseries of nested separating devices, the outer edges of said devicesbeing also spaced away a sufficient distance from the inner periphery ofsaid bowl. All of said separating devices are spaced apart and supportedin the same relation to each other by means of uprights affixed theretoas follows. The lowermost separating disks 11 are supported by theuprights 12 the upper ends of said uprights projecting a short distance.Another similar nest of separating disks 8 are superposed upon theformer heat, the lower ends of their supporting uprights 9 projectingdownward a short distance, pieces 10 being attached to said uprights 9adapted to contact with one side of each of the uprights 12, to holdboth nests in the same relative position, but detachable therefrom. Inlike manner another nest of conical separating disks 5 fixed uponsupporting uprights '6 is superposed upon the last described nest in thesame manner, the pieces 7 attached to the lower projecting ends of theuprights. 6 contacting with the upwardly projecting ends of the uprights9. A topmost nest of conical separating devices 2 fixed on thesupporting uprights 3 is in like manner superposed upon the nest lastdescribed, the pieces 4 on the projecting lower ends of the uprights 3contacting with the projecting upper ends of the uprights 6. All thesaid nests when superposed thus form a regular series of separatingdevices spaced apart equal distances, the supporting uprights being madein sections so that the different nests of disks may be removedseparately to permit of the introduction or removal of the ring gaskets19, 20 and 21. The gasket 21 is first inserted to fit Within the bowlatthe angle of junction of the sides and bottom thereof. The lowermostnest of separating devices is then introduced into the bowl, the outerlower edge of the uppermost disk 11 resting upon and forming awater-tight connection with the gasket 21. A nest of separating disks 8is then superposed upon the nest of disks 11 and a gasket 19 is thenfitted about the exterior periphery of the cylinder 13 so as to effect awater-tight connection between said cylinder and the upper edge of theupper disk 8. The nest of disks 5 is then superposed upon the nest ofdisks 8 in a similar manner and a gasket 20 introduced, placed so as toform a water-tight connection between the inner periphery of theseparator bowl and the outer lower edge of the uppermost disk 5. Thenest of separating disks 2 is then superposed upon the nest ofseparating disks '5 in the same manner, the cover 28 then being clampeddown into place to secure said nests of separating devices securely inposition by the clamping means heretofore. described. Tubular conduits23 are attached to the inner side of the separator cover 28 and havetheir inner ends near the inner periphery of the bowl 1.

When by means of any suitable source of power, the

bowl 1 has attained the proper speed of rotation, the

whole milk is introduced into the inlet tube 14 thence being sprayedtangentially into the lower compartment of the cylinder 13 whence underthe influence of centrifugal force it passes through the openings 25 ntothe interior of the bowl along the bottom thereof. As shown in Fig. 1,the arrows then depict the direction of movement of the current ofseparating milk in its passage over and between the conical separatingdevices. Inasmuch as the gasket 21 which is interposed to form awater-tight connection between the inner periphery of the bowl and thelower outer edge of the uppermost disk 11 prevents egress of the milkdirectly upward along the surface of the inner periphery of the bowl thecurrent of the milk is deflected so as to move upwardly and inwardlybetween the disks 11 and up to the upper inner edge of the uppermostdisk 11, whence it is deflected outward and downward to the innerperiphery of the bowl. The gasket 19 operates to thus deflect thecurrent downward, the milk then flowing upwardly along the innerperiphery of the bowl as far as the gasket 20 which in turn deflects themilk inwardly, the stream being divided and flowing between the disks 5toward the outer periphery of the cylinder 13 and thence upwardly pastthe upper inner edge of the uppermost disk 5 the ascending current ithen being sprayed outwardly between the disks 3 to the inner peripheryof the bowl the skimmed milk, being the heavier portion of the liquid,then escaping from the bowl through the milk outlets 23. .That portionof the cream which is separated below the gasket 19 escapes through thelowermost slotted opening 15 into the cream zone between the cylinders13 and 14. All the cream which is separated above the gasket 19 findsits way to the uppermost slotted openings 15 and then ascends along thegrooves 27 to the cream outlet 22.

Inasmuch as it is desirable to keep the milk circulating in the bowlover the surfaces of the separating devices until the minuter particlesof cream have time to thoroughly separate therefrom, it is apparent thatproper means should be adopted to so confine the current that it may notrapidly pass through such separating devices to the inner periphery ofthe bowl and thence issue through the milk exit carrying with it aconsiderable portion of unseparated cream particles. My

improved liner is designed to effect that end, as it effects suchpurpose by carrying the current of separating milk alternately back andforward over the whole series of separating devices up to the point ofexit. The whole of the surfaces of said separating devices are thusequally utilized and in the long circuitous passage over them thesmallest cream particles are given full opportunity to separate from theskimmed milk. Throughout about one half of the extent of said liner,those parts through which the current is deflected inwardly, theseparation and movement inwardly of the cream particles are expedited onaccount of such particles not having to encounter the increased frictionof the heavier watery particles moving in the other direction as is thecase in those parts of a liner where the current is directed outwardly.Less power is thus required in the operation of the separator.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A centrifugal cream separator, comprising the combination of a bowlhaving a milk inlet-tube and milk and cream exits, a plurality ofseparating devices spaced apart and superposed about saidmilk-inlet-tube, and removable seals secured between the inner edges ofcertain predetermined separating devices and the milk inlet tube, andother removable seals secured between the outer edges of certain otherpredetermined separating devices and the inner periphery of the bowl.

2. A centrifugal cream separator, comprising the comhination of a bowlhaving a milk inlet-tube and milk and cream exits, a plurality ofsuperposed separating. devices spaced apart and located about said milkinlet-tube so as to leave channels between said devices and the saidtube and the inner periphery of the bowl respectively, and removableseals placed so as to obstruct such channels at predetermined placesalternately between the said devices and the said milk inlet-tube andthe inner periphery of the bowl.

3. A centrifugal cream separator, comprising the combination of a bowlprovided with milk and cream exits, a milk inlet-tube therein incommunication with the interior of the bowl near its base, a creamexit-tube about and spaced away from said milk inlet-tube, perforatedfor entry of cream therethrough but closed above the exits of said milkinlet-tube, a. plurality of superposed separating devices spaced apartand located aboutsaid cream-exit-tube so as to leave channelstherebetween and between the outer edges of said devices and the innerperiphery of said bowl, and removable seals secured between said devicesand the cream exit-tube and the inner periphery of the bowl, such seals.being placed to alternately obstruct said inner and outer channels atcertain predetermined places.

Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 27th day of Aug. 1906. DAVID R. GREEN.

Witnesses:

G. G. KENNEDY, M. E. KENNEDY.

